Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja has slammed current Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) management committee chairman Najam Sethi for his statement saying that the board is looking at England as a possible venue for the Asia Cup 2023 in September.
During an ACC meeting, Najam Sethi suggested a hybrid hosting strategy for the multi-nation event. The many restrictions, namely the heat in September discouraged the other boards from showing any interest in competing in the UAE.
The PCB Chairman has said that England could be a potential location for the tournament.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Ramiz Raja questioned the mental stability of the PCB chief, saying that the Asia Cup would allow the teams to acclimatize to subcontinent spin pitches.
“I was shocked to hear the Chairman PCB saying it would be great to see the Asia Cup being played at Lord’s. Is he mentally stable or not? The whole point of Asia Cup before the World Cup was that the teams get familiar with the conditions of the sub-continent," Raja said.
Raja also expressed unhappiness with Najam Sethi's claim that the Pakistan Super League’s (PSL) upcoming season might be held in Dubai owing to taxation concerns. He said doing such a thing will negate all work done to bring the premier T20 tournament back in the country.
“Another statement that made me angry was Mr. Chairman telling the press they want to organize PSL season 9 in UAE because there are issues with taxation in Pakistan. On one hand you’re saying that Pakistan is safe for cricket regarding Asia Cup but on the other hand, you are saying that PSL should not be conducted in Pakistan, how does that make sense?
It took us years to bring the PSL back to Pakistan and to show the world that Pakistan is finally ready to host international cricket but you want to nullify that? This is disappointing,” he added.
It remains to be seen where the Asia Cup is hosted as ACC is expected to meet and finalize everything.
